Commentary on Attorney General v. Dallas

[2012] Crim LR 696

2 Pages Posted: 17 Oct 2012

See all articles by A. T. H. Smith

A. T. H. Smith

Victoria University of Wellington, Te Herenga Waka - Faculty of Law; University of Cambridge

Date Written: 2012

Abstract

This case note considers Attorney General v Dallas, in which the defendant was found guilty of criminal contempt, for conducting research on a case (which is strictly prohibited) for which she was serving as a member of the jury. The commentary discusses the effectiveness of the prohibition on jurors undertaking their own research, and efforts to enforce it, before questioning whether the statements prepared by other members of the jury for the purposes of the contempt proceedings were received by the court in breach of s 8 of the Contempt of Court Act 1981, which protects the confidentiality of jury deliberations.

Keywords: committal for contempt, contempt of court, internet, jurors, jury deliberations, jury directions, Attorney General v Fraill, Contempt of Court Act 1981, confidentiality of jury deliberations

JEL Classification: K14, K40, K42

Suggested Citation

Smith, A. T. H., Commentary on Attorney General v. Dallas (2012). [2012] Crim LR 696, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2162775

A. T. H. Smith (Contact Author)

Victoria University of Wellington, Te Herenga Waka - Faculty of Law ( email )

PO Box 600
Wellington, 6140
New Zealand

University of Cambridge ( email )

10 West Road
Cambridge, CB3 9DZ
United Kingdom

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